Umibōzu (海坊主;Japanese pronunciation:[ɯ.mʲi.boꜜː.(d)zɯ,ɯꜜ.mʲi.boː-],[1]lit. 'sea priest') is a giant, black, human-like being and is the figure of ayōkai fromJapanese folklore.
Little is known of the origin ofumibōzu but it is a mythical sea-spirit creature and as such has multiple sightings throughout Japan. Normally,umibōzu appears to sailors on calm seas which quickly turn tumultuous. It either breaks the ship on emergence or demands aladle from the sailors and proceeds to drown them. The only safe way to escape anumibōzu is to give it a bottomless ladle and sail away while it is confused.
The monster is known by other near-synonymous names suchUmihōshi (海法師) orUminyūdō (海入道).
They are often encountered by ships at night.[2][3] A calm sea would suddenly surge and a giant blackbōzu (bald-shaven) head surfaces, and destroy or damage ships.[2][4] They are said to range from a few meters to tens of meters in length,[2][4][3] but some are about human-size.[3] It typically reveals only its upper body[5] above the waist.
Theumibōzu is not always solitary, and some lore claim that swarms of them arrive on ships to do mischief, such as clinging to thehull andscull as well as put out the basket fire.[4][3] Their weakness is said to be smoke (tobacco fumes according to some[6][5]) which causes them to flee.[3]
Theumibōzu is explained by some to be theghost of thedrowned,[7] a belief held locally inChiba Prefecture,[8] though the lore fromChōshi, Chiba asserts that a certain priest named Shōgaku-bō (正覚坊) had drowned and became theumibōzu, according to Edo Period literature.[9] (Cf.§ Sea turtle below). An English source claims theumibōzu is more generally regarded as the spirit of the drowned priest.[10][a]
The lore of the umibōzu is widespread and occurs all over Japan.[13][14] Also the story of the umibōzu (or some maritimeyōkai under various names) that asks for aladle-type utensil then tries to sink the gift-giver's ship by scooping water in it, is found all over Japan.[15]
In a commonplace story, theumibōzu asks for aladle-type utensil from the gullible seafarer, only to have the creature try to fill the ship with the implement and try to sink it. In the version ofUkujima island (of theGotō Islands,Nagasaki Prefecture), the creature is called eitherumibōzu orfunayūrei, and demands ahishaku (wooden dipper). Since it would try to use it to pour water into the fisherman's vessel, the wise strategy to survive this is to lend a ladle with the bottom punched out.[16] This story is found all over Japan,[15][17] though the sea creature may be told under various names.[19] which is presumably a ladle or dipper also. In the version ofMorozaki [ja], Aichi , thefunayūrei demands anaka-tori (「あかとりくれい」)、whereaka refers to "bilge water" andtori means "taker, gatherer" for any kind of such tool.[20][b].
Other (near-synonymous) names includeUmihōshi (海法師) orUminyūdō (海入道),[3] wherehōshi (法師) (literally "law-master") andnyūdō (入道) both refer to a monk or priest.
Theumibōzu has a clean shaven head like a priest's,[10] as aforementioned. Some English sources also generalize theumibōzu to be the spirits of drowned priests.[10][23][24]
Sometimes theumibōzu is conflated with thefunayūrei (船幽霊;lit. "ship ghost"), and it is difficult to make a stark distinction between them.[25][c] As in the aforementioned example the sameyōkai may be known as eitherfunayūrei orumibōzu (Gotō Islands).[16]
In the western seas the creature known asumibōzu is a human-headed sea turtle, corresponding to theheshang yu [zh] (oroshōuo in Japanese, meaning "monk-fish") from Chinese literature[11] (cf.§ Sea turtle)
In European folklore, there is also said to be sea creatures of like meaning, namely thesea monk andsea bishop.
In the aforementioned lore around northernGotō Archipelago, the part about theumibōzu akafunayūrei demanding the ladle is amotif that is widespread throughout Japan as aforementioned,[15] but there are more superstitions about this yōkai according to fishermen of the area, namely, that it never tries to come aboard ship from the aft (stern) of the ship because the Funaō-sama (船王様; "Lord Ship King") faces that way, and always tries to climb from theprow.[16] Also, if it clings onto the scull (oar), then one should keep pushing it until the edge of the oar digs in, and the umibōzu would start screaming "aitata (ouch ouch)" in pain..[28]
InUwajima,Ehime Prefecture, there are tales where they would shapeshift into azatō (blind person) and kill human women. Also, while there are many legends of them attacking humans, in Uwajima there is the legend that those who see anumibōzu would live a long life.[25]
InNagato Province (nowYamaguchi Prefecture), at a part ofMukatsuku [ja] village called Kawashiri[d], there is a tale passed down about a fisherman long ago who had been out night-fishing and witnessed aumibōzu that came to extinguish the basket fire, so he threw the fire-lit torches at the monster.[16]
In theBisan Seto [ja] Sea in-betweenOkayama Prefecture andKagawa Prefecture, tales are told of a type ofumibōzu called thenurarihyon with a large round head: they float towards the boat, and slowlyslicker (nurari) away and then unexpectedly (hyon) float approaching the boat again. They would do this several times over to taunt people.[29][30] This marine creature is completely different from the old man-like yōkai callednurarihyon that bears the same name.[29][31]
Aroud theSan'in region it is said that one can encounter theumibōzu on the shore as well, while walking on the beach at night, and the slick, black mass-like creature will rub itself onto the passerby and attempt to drag the person into the sea. There are anecdotes of some survivor who got away with all his might.[32]
FromTottori Prefecture, a piece of writing from theEdo period calledInaba kaidan-shū (因幡怪談集; "Inaba ghost stories") attests to theumibōzu. A strong man from the village next toYonagomachi [ja] (now part ofMatsue[e]) who boasted of being undefeated insumo matches held at ceremonies encountered the one-eyed monster shaped like a stake measuring 2shaku (66 centimetres (26 in)) circumference. The man captured the monster after a struggle. Most villagers who gathered could not identify it, but a 90-year old man suggested this might be theumibōzu, said to lean on to people it finds, with its body slick with goo, causing an itch all over the body if touched, or so the old man had been told by his grandfather long ago.[33][34]。
There is also theumibōzu of unusual appearance. The creature was said to appear periodically in the bay ofKemi-ura [ja] (now Kemi inWakayama city,Wakayama Prefecture). Finally, one was caught in the area at Miidera town,[f] as reported in the 26 December 1888 issue of theMiyako Shinbun of Tokyo. Thisumibōzu was about 7–8 shaku (2–2.5 m; 7–8 ft) tall and weighing about 60–70 kan (225–262.5 kg, 496–579 lb), and was a large ape-like creature with brown hair, orange eyes, a mouth of acrocodile, belly of a fish, tail of alobster, and the cry of a bull.[35][36]
OnAwaji Island in town ofYura [ja] (now part ofSumoto,Hyōgo Prefecture), it has been told that one can be spared from anumbōzu's attack by tossing the most preciouscargo into the sea. However, the prescribed rule demands one mustjettison the objects from thebow end of the boat.[37][2][38]
In theTohoku region, there is a custom of making anoffering of the first catch of the season (hatsumono) to theSea God, and if this is disregarded, theumibōzu was said to appear and destroy the boat and kidnap the boat owner.[39][32]
Umibōzu are also said to change their appearance, and a tale is told on the island ofŌshima [ja] inKesennuma,Miyagi Prefecture, about anumibōzu thatshapeshifted into beautiful women and engaging in swimming contests with humans.[40][25] There is also a similar tale inIwate Prefecture, but there it is said that those who accept the challenge would be swallowed down instantly.[2]
In land-lockedNagano Prefecture there is no sea coast, but still claims to haveumibōzu dwelling in its rivers.[g] According to legend, it lived in rivers nearKaesa inNakano city, had giant body and a black head like the head of agiant Buddha statue. Only its upper body was said to show above water.[41]
In Cape Shiriya,Higashidōri,Shimokita District,Aomori Prefecture, it is said that people eaten bysharks would becomemōjabune (亡者船/亡者舟; "wandering-spirit ship"). These ghost ships can be repelled by dissolving somemiso (soy bean paste) in water and letting the cold soup flow down the sea.[42]
The "umikozō" told about in theKamo District,Shizuoka Prefecture is a boy covered with hair all the way to the sides of the eye, and it is said that they would approach fishing lines with a grin.[43]
The folklore of the frighteningmukuri kokuri [ja] ormokuri kokuri (from蒙古高句麗 literally "Mongol andKogureo Korea"), presumably the ghosts of the victims of theMongol invasion is passed on in various ways, but in the area ofTanabe, Wakayama Prefecture it is told that the monster[s] appear when people visit the mountains on thelunar March 3 or if people visit the sea on the lunarMay 5.[45] According to one local informant, the ones that appear in the sea are a swarm of jelly-fish like things.[46][43] Thus this has been characterizable as anumibōzu of a sort.[43] But locals tell it differently for themokuri kokuri that appears on land, namely, that they are human-like creatures that stretch or shrink to different size, and are encountered in the wheat fields. And according to a variant told at Kamikohama beach in Tanabe, the terrestrialmokuri kokuri is aweasel-like small beast that puncture the butts of humans who enter wheat fields at night.[47] This version is conjectured to be a conflation of the lores of the "earth-rat" (i.e.mole) and thekappa[h] byMinakata Kumagusu[44]
In theKitauwa District,Ehime Prefecture, the sea would become white at night and a "shirami", also called "shirami yūren", would come swimming, and fishers would call these idiots. However, it is said that if they hear "idiot", they'd get angry and cling on to the scull and give a bad time.[43]
OnSado Island, the "tate-eboshi" (lit. "propped upeboshi [ja] hat") is a monster said to stand at a height of 20 m (66 ft) who would aim at ships and try to flip them over.[43]
TheKii Zōdan Shū [ja] (published1687) includes a narrative claiming an encounter with a 黒入道 (kuro nyūdō; "black priest, black bald thing")-typeumibōzu, which purportedly took place during theMeiō era (1492–1501). Twosarugaku performers, adrummer and aflautist, needed passage toSuruga Province and boarded aferry boat fromIse Province (Mie Prefecture) bound forCape Irago (Aichi Prefecture). The ferryman had the policy of refusing a "lone woman" aboard,[j] but the drummer Zenya (善彌/善弥)[48] or Zenchin (善珍)[49] insisted his wife be carried. When the boat encountered a big storm, the ferryman angrily blamed the presence of the lone woman for incurring the anger of theDragon God, and told the group to cast valuables into the sea to appease the god, to no avail,[k] Then the black bald thing appeared, which had a head five to six times the size of a human's, glittering eyes as large asTenmoku teacups, and a horse-like[50] (or bird-like[51]) mouth that was 2 shaku (60 cm; 20 in) in length. The wife made her resolve and tossed herself into the ocean, and the black bald thing snatched the woman in its jaws, upon which the waves calmed and the group made it ashore, though bereft of their possessions. According to the ferryman, the black bald thing was a monster callednyūdō wani (入道鰐;lit. "priest/bald crocodile").[52] Theseumibōzu are said to be fallen dragon deities who would demand sacrifice.[39]
According to the narrative found in theHonchō Goen (本朝語園; publishedHōei3/1706), the samuraiShōni Yoshiyori [ja] (d. 1441) was crossing the sea toTsushima he had an encounter with a slick, oily sea monster, and asked about it from a local fisherman, who replied that such monsters exist,[l] additionally informing the warrior that the sea also has creatures called theumi nyūdō (海入道) (orfuna nyūdō (船入道)[53] measuring 6 to 7 shaku (182 to 212 cm; 6 to 7 ft) in height, and had neither eyes, nor nose, nor limbs. Upon seeing one, it was considered necessary to say nothing and pretend to have seen nothing, because if one says even something such as "what was that?" it would sink the boat in an instant.[56][53]
The samurai daimyo lordYanagiwara Motomitsu [ja]'s essayKansō Jigo (閑窓自語;Kanseiera/1789–1801), which recorded the report from Kaizuka,Izumi Province (nowKaizuka,Osaka Prefecture) that anumibōzu rose out of the sea and remained ashore (near shore) for three days; meanwhile, the local inhabitants told their children not to play outside. According to eyewitnesses, it was human-like in appearance and gigantic, black aslacquerware in its entire body, but stayed half-dipped in water and was facing away, so no one saw its face.[57]
In the essayUsō Kanwa (雨窓閑話; pub.1851), possbly byMatsudaira Sadanobu (d. 1829), there appears an anecdote fromKuwana (in what is now Mie Prefecture) claiming anumibōzu encounter. It was local tradition to avoid sailing at the end of the month for fear of encountering the monstrosity. But a sailor named Kuwanaya Tokuzō (桑名屋徳蔵) broke this ban and went out to sea, whereupon anumibōzu appeared that was 1jō (3 meters) tall with eyes like mirrors painted with red pigment. The giant asked "Frightened?", to which the sailor answered, "There's nothing as frightening as trying to make it across this mundane world", at which theumibōzu disappeared.[58][25][4] Similarly, there is a legend about a "zatō gashira" (blind man head), a blind bōzu that appears above the sea, and it would ask people, "Frightened?", and if one acts afraid and answers "I'm scared", or exclaims "Help", it would say, "You should not be going out to sea at the end of the month", and disappear.[59]
In the early Edo period scrollBakemono no e, the depiction of theumibōzu is rather unique, resembling acatfish.[60][m]
Terashima Ryōan [ja]'sWakan Sansai Zue (completed1712) has an entry for a human-faced sea-turtle, known in Chinese as the "monk-fish" (heshang yu,和尚魚), which Ryōan claims is known asumibōzu by the Japanese who find it in the western seas.[11] (cf. fig. right, and§ Chinese tradition below).
Another work entitledButsurui shōko [ja] (pub.1775), as well as the later, Meiji period compilationWakun no shiori [ja][61] adds that according to the lore of Chōshi Bay inShimōsa Province (Chiba Prefecture), a priest named Shōgaku-bō (aforementioned) having drowned to death became theumibōzu.[9] Its appearance is close to what the Japanese call "mud turtles" (Kinosternon] spp.), but the face resembles a cat, and the fore- and hind-paws do not have well-defined toes. When fishermen capture one of these, they would customarily take pity and release it.[9]
TheWakan Sansai Zue also describes theumobōzu being released by Japanese fishermen. But encountering anumobōzu turtle was considered unlucky,[n] i.e., an omen of a bad catch.[11][12] Therefore, when the turtle pressed its forearms together in front of its breast in a praying gesture, and shed tears to beg for its life, the fisherman made sure to warn the creature not to take vengeance[o] on my fishing before releasing it.[11][62]
InSanuki (Kagawa Prefecture) such creature is called a Kamenyūdō (亀入道; "turtle monk").[62]
As already touched upon above (in§ Sea turtle) Terashima Ryōan'sWakan Sansai Zue equates the monster known in Japan asumibōzu with the Chineseheshang yu[p] (lit. "monk-fish",和尚魚, pronouncedoshō-uo in Japanese), described as a red creature with a humanlike face andsoftshell turtle-like body of reddish color.[64]
In theHaidao yizhi [zh](,"Leisured Gazetteer of Islands"[q] pub. 1791) by Wang Dahai, under the name of "umi oshō" or "kai oshō"[65] (lit. "sea monk, sea priest",海和尚, Chinese pronunciation:hai heshang), it was written to be ayōkai resembling a human but has a tear from mouth to ear, and would make a big laughter upon finding a human.Umi oshō are said to be feared because when they appear, a storm surge always follows.[66][67] It is also theorized that this was actually thesea turtle hyperbolically remade into ayōkai.[68] Note thatheshangyu [zh] or "monk/priest-fish" of Chinese tradition (Japanese:oshōuo) which is human-headed and turtle (terrapin)-bodied, is equated with theumibōzu in the encyclopediaWakan Sansai Zue.[11][69]
According to theTaiwan xuzhi (臺湾續志) i.e.,Xuxiu Taiwan fuzhi [zh] ("Continued & Revised Gazeteer of Taiwan Prefecture", 1764), thehai heshang sea-monk "had a red color, with head and body similar to human form, with four wings/fins, and no scales[r] so it was essentially aningyo (man-fish, meraman), and was merely a newly coined term used around the Canton area to refer to such creatures. Whereas thehai heshang described in theZhejiang xianzhi (浙江縣志, "Zhejian county gazetteer") is an entirely different creature.[65][70]
In China, there is the legend of the bald-headed sea horde called Kikokutan,[71] or Kikoku-nada[72] (鬼哭灘) (Guiku tan in Chinese pronunciation,lit. "demon-crying rough sea" or "ghost-wailing sea"[s]).[71][t] The horde of about 100 "headless,[u] one-handed and one-legged,[v] short and bald[w] beings arrive and try to overturn the ship. They are said to dissipate once some sort of foodstuff is scattered at it.[71][73][x]Inoue Enryō considered this the counterpart of Japan'sfunayūrei,[71] whileŌta Nanpo wrote it was a type ofumibōzu.[75]
The Kikoku-nada legend is also known in the Chita District, Aichi, where it has been told that if one sailed out on the lunarNew Year's Eve, one was sure to encounter the eerie creature (ayakashi), but the disturbance will cease if a lot of ladles are cast into the sea.[21]
In April 1971, the fishing vessels28th Konpira Maru which sailed off fromMiyagi Prefecture (Onagawa,Oshika District) allegedly had its tuna-fishinglong line snapped off by a giant marine beast off ofNew Zealand, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast ofCape Lyttelton, and this has been tied to theumibōzu.[76][4] The creature has also been dubbedkabagon as a sort of UMA (cryptid).[3] It had greyish wrinkled skin, with glaring eyes about 15 cm (6 in) in diameter, a flattened nose, and no mouth to be seen. Though the rest of its body was in murky waters to see clearly, there was some billowing movement under the surface suggesting a trailing tail. As they got ready toharpoon it, the monster disappeared into the sea.[77][78]
When an officer at theYaizu, Shizuoka branch of theFar Sea Fisheries Research Laboratory [ja] heard of this account, he supposed that it was likely that the fishermen were mistaking an organism, such as a fish or whale, for a monster.[76] In another eyewitness account, the half of its body that appeared from the water surface was about 1.5 m (5 ft) in length, so by inferring that its whole body was several times that length, they said that they never heard of an organism like that.[76]
These accounts were published inMainichi Shimbun on July 17 of the same year.[76][25]
Theumibōzu sometimes appear at seas with no abnormalities (and in this case, once theumibōzu was seen, the weather would start getting stormy), so it's pointed out that these could be things that do exist but were misinterpreted. Some examples of things that could have been misinterpreted include sea organisms,cumulonimbus clouds, big waves, and other natural phenomena.[25]
Umibōzu always appear only in the ocean, usually during peaceful waters and fair weather.[79] These fair conditions would normally put the sailors at ease as they are literally "sailing on smooth waters" but the possible presence of a malicious spirit put many sailors on edge in these times of peaceful sailing. Upon its sudden rising from the ocean, causing waves and sometimes flipping ships or breaking them[80] with its emergence,umibōzu is accompanied by the winds begin to blow and waves toss the ship about. The appearance of anumibōzu alone causes this dramatic shift in weather which puts any ship in immediate peril, not only from being capsized by the waves but also from being crushed by theyōkai. This could be a mixing of thefunayūrei[22] legends which suggests theseyōkaiappear during storms at sea.
『三才図会』に、「東洋の大海中に和尚魚というのがいる。状は鼈に似ていて、身体は紅赤色である。潮汐(水)に乗ってやってくる」(鳥獣六巻)とある。
